What are predator guards? Should I use them?
Martins are communal nesters and of course, when you get a large group of any kind of birds or animals together, then there are predators that take notice. There are a number of different flying and ground based predators that martins need to be protected from. Snakes, raccoons, cats, squirrels to name a few. Owls are also a major night time predator that can wipe out a colony in short order. The proper guards need to be in place to keep them from gaining access to your martin housing. And, should you use them, absolutely! It only takes one attack from a predator to make a hard earned colony vacate a site and in some cases, never to return.
